Any registered voter who is absent from the city on the day of an election, who cannot appear in public because of an observance of a religious commitment, or who is unable to vote in person by reasons of a physical disability, may vote by absentee ballot. (NH RSA 657:1)

A Nashua voter's request for an absentee ballot must be made in writing and mailed to the City Clerk or faxed to 603-589-3029. The request must be signed by the person requesting the ballot and needs to include that person's legal residence (not a post office box) and an address where the voter would like to have the ballot mailed. For your convenience, a link to an absentee ballot request form is posted at the top of this page. Absentee ballots will be available approximately 30 days prior to the date of an election.

The Mayoral Primary and Municipal General Elections are non-partisan. Party registration has no bearing on voter eligibility to participate in municipal elections.

However, for state party primaries an absentee voter needs to designate which party he or she is registered in and the City Clerk will mail the primary ballot for that party to the voter. If the voter is Undeclared, he or she should specify which party's ballot he or she would like to receive. The Undeclared absentee voter's party registration will be changed to the party registration whose ballot was requested, and the ballot will be mailed to the voter.

Voters who wish to cast absentee ballots should allow enough time for the Clerk to receive the written request, for the post office to deliver the ballot, and for the voter to mail that ballot back to the City Clerk in time for the election.

It is important to note the following:

An absentee voter can deliver only his or her own ballot in person to the City Clerk, during regular business hours, until the day before an election.

Hand-delivered ballots may only be dropped off by the voter. Another person (including a spouse or family member) cannot deliver the ballot for an absentee voter. State law does not allow anyone but the voter, the clerk's designee, or mail service to deliver a ballot.

Hand-delivered absentee ballots will not be accepted at the City Clerk's Office on election day. Voters who are present in the City on election day must go to the polls to vote. The absentee ballot should be disposed of since ward election officials are not authorized to accept absentee ballots at the polls. Instead, a regular ballot will be issued at the checklist table.

Ballots received by mail after 5 p.m. on election day will not be counted (per RSA 657:22), except for those issued to emergency service workers under limited circumstances.